BOOK EXCERPT: SEVENTH DIMENSION – THE HOWLING: A Young Adult Fantasy, “Sneak Peek at an Underwater Scene”

Sometimes writing evokes deep emotions. I have been working on The Howling for close to a year, and I just wrote a scuba diving scene that takes place in the Red Sea. That was one of the places I dove many years ago, having made over a hundred dives all over the world. 

When I began writing these chapters, memories resurfaced, nostalgic sentimentality, and surprisingly, gratefulness. Today was my birthday. I just turned sixty-three and am one year out following my year-long battle with breast cancer.

I see every day I'm here as a gift, and when I think back to my diving years, I am reminded how quickly time goes by and what's really important when we get closer to the end of our journey. What a blessed life God has given me. 

With those thoughts as a backdrop, I decided to share a short excerpt I wrote tonight. Those who have read previous books in the series will wonder how this scene fits into the story--but I shall not spoil it. I hope The Howling will be the best book in the Seventh Dimension Series yet.

I followed Maurice along the colorful shelf where clownfish darted in and out of sea anemones. From the shimmering schools of fish to the tiny, shy creatures lurking under overhanging crevasses, God spoke to me, even if that voice was only to evoke in me a longing for more.

How can we fathom the depths of God's handiwork in the window of the deep? Can we know the inner workings of the tiny seahorse or understand the symbiosis between the known and the unknown?

My mind wondered as I videotaped the extraordinary beauty. I marveled how the masterful artist spoke this world into being before he created man.  Extravagant love blessed these waters and said it was good. Who could deny it came from a stroke of genius except for someone who didn't want to believe in God? 

However, we hadn't gone very far when our surroundings changed. The protective wall was a death trap. Heaped upon the sandy bottom were skeletons of decomposed fish. Did death have a voice?

I heard a muffled grating noise. Perhaps it had been there all along, just drowned out by our regulators and the normal rhythmic heartbeat of the sea. I shot the video in all directions to capture the disturbing changes.

The euphoria of being beneath the waters after such a long absence evaporated. The rainbow world of the deep had become a morbid cemetery. The vibrant colors of living coral were nothing more than whitewashed tombstones. Devoid of life, this part of the Red Sea was now a ghost town.

Maurice and I exchanged glances. Something had tarnished the ecosystem and brought death here.

The water became warmer as we glided along the shelf. Maurice wrote something on his slate and held it up—water temp?

I took his slate and wrote, “global warming?”

He shook his head, putting the slate back in his pocket. We followed the shelf until it leveled off and we came to a white sandy bottom. I checked the depth gauge—sixty-five feet.

Maurice wandered away from me a short distance and swam back, urgently signaling me to follow him. His eyes were as big as bowling balls. 

Release Date June 1
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GOD'S LOVE REVEALED IN A WORM: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts

Recently some friends and I were discussing when we feel closest to God. I sheepishly responded I feel closest to God when I am writing or scuba diving. I feared that didn’t make me sound very spiritual— until someone remarked that’s probably when I feel most needy. 

I reminisced back to my diving days before kids. Away from the noise and distractions of a busy life, I would be overcome with the immense beauty and vastness of the world beneath the ocean.

On one night dive in the Florida Keys, my dive buddy and I were at seventy-five feet. We were diving off a shipwreck, and when I shone my underwater light on the rustic red side of a sunken boat, I discovered a brown caterpillar-like creature with tons of legs.

He was edging his way along at a rather slow pace. I probably stunned him by
the intrusion of my bright light in what was otherwise total blackness.

As I floated beside the ship and examined the peculiar worm,

I wondered why, in the middle of the vast Atlanta Ocean, I would discover this rather ugly creature.

Asking questions of seeming insignificance can lead to discussions latent with deeper meaning. Why did God create me? Are the things we stumble upon in life purely by chance?

Twenty-five years later, I’ve not forgotten that worm at the bottom of the ocean’s depths. I am reminded that our words bear witness to God’s nature in all of nature. We feel God’s pleasure in the stories that we tell—the stories that touch us deeply.

One worm found its way into a Bible story. In the book of Jonah in the Old Testament, God sent Jonah to warn the people of the city of Nineveh to repent of their ways. After being eaten by the whale, Jonah traveled to the wicked city and did as God had asked him. But when God didn’t destroy the city and spared the inhabitants, Jonah brooded over God’s mercy to Israel’s enemies. Then God supplied a plant to give Jonah shade as he sat angry in the hot noonday sun. The next day, however, God provided a worm to eat the plant. Sometimes
my life seems like that. What is God is trying to teach me?

Diving into the depths of the ocean reminds me of diving into the depths of God’s love. I see His creativity in the world of worms, garden eels, and sea urchins; manta rays that glide over the sea wall, nurse sharks that hide under rocky ledges, and barracuda that amass in the hundreds.

God’s underwater paradise gives me hope that harmony with the world through Him is possible. I may not understand it all, but I don’t have to. Perhaps God just wants me to enjoy the journey and channel His creativity that I so much love
into my soul.

As my kids get older, I look forward to once again putting on the weight belt, BC, tank, and octopus. I always enjoyed spitting into my face mask to clean it (after all, how many times in life is that acceptable behavior); and, of course, getting that last strand of hair out of the mask so
as not to burn my eyes with seeping saltwater. I can’t wait to push that regulator button and hear the compressed air spew out (pretty important down there to be able to breathe) and I will waddle like a duck in all my gear to the back of the boat and wait my turn (imagining I look better than I feel with the cumbersome tank on my back).

I will make sure I remember all those hand signals (the out-of-air one might come in handy), and hopefully, heave off the back of the boat in a spectacular somersault.

The rising bubbles as I sink and the sound of the regulator imitating my breathing will bring me back to my favorite pastime. I will be wooed once more to enjoy God’s presence in a world of unparalleled beauty where even a worm bears witness to His unconditional love.

* * * * * * *

To enjoy more of Lorilyn Roberts' writings, check out her website at LorilynRoberts.com.

WHERE HAVE I FELT CLOSEST TO GOD? MY ANSWER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts

Question: Where have you felt closest to God?

Lorilyn Roberts: I have scuba dived all over the world-the Red Sea, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Caribbean. Thirty minutes from my home in sunny Central Florida, dozens of cold, clear, springs bubble up and lure divers from all over the country to dive into the caves.

On many of these dives, particularly in the Red Sea, away from the noise and distractions of a busy life, I have been overcome with the immense beauty and vastness of the world beneath the ocean. On one particular night dive in the Florida Keys many years ago, my dive buddy and I were at about seventy-five feet, which is rather deep for a night dive.  We were diving off a shipwreck, and when I shone my underwater light on the rustic red side of a sunken boat, I discovered a brown caterpillar-like creature with tons of legs. He was edging his way along at a rather slow pace. I probably stunned him by the intrusion of my bright light in what was otherwise total blackness.

As I floated beside the ship and examined the peculiar worm, I wondered why, in the middle of the vast Atlanta Ocean, I would stumble upon this rather ugly creature.

Asking questions of seeming insignificance can lead to discussions with latent deeper meaning. Why did God create me? Are the things we stumble upon in life purely by chance?

I am convinced I am here for such a time as this (and so are you). The books we write bear witness to the lives God has given us, from comedy to romance to tragedy. We feel God's pleasure in the stories that touch us deeply, whether written by us or others. On that night dive way back long ago, when I was much younger and fitter, it is not surprising that God used a worm to reveal something about His nature-I have never forgotten it some twenty years later.

T

here is also a story in the Bible about a worm that God used in a powerful way. In the book of Jonah in the Old Testament, God sent Jonah to warn the people of the city of Nineveh to repent of their ways. After being eaten by the whale, Jonah traveled to the wicked city and did as God had asked him. But when God didn't destroy the city and spared the inhabitants, Jonah brooded over God's mercy to Israel's enemies. Then God supplied a plant to give Jonah shade as he sat angrily in the hot noonday sun. The next day, however, God provided a worm to eat the plant.

Sometimes life seems like that. I can't figure it out. But diving into the depths of the ocean for me is like diving into the depths of God's love. I see His creativity in the world of worms, garden eels, and sea urchins; manta rays that glide over the sea wall, nurse sharks that hide under rocky ledges, and barracuda that amass in the hundreds. God's underwater paradise gives me hope that harmony with the world through Him is possible. I may not understand it all, but I don't have to. Perhaps God just wants me to enjoy the journey more and channel His creativity that I so much love into my soul.

As my kids get older, I look forward to once again putting on the weight belt, BC, tank, and octopus. I always enjoyed spitting into my face mask to clean it (after all, how many times in life is that acceptable behavior); and, of course, getting that last strand of hair out of the mask so as not to burn my eyes with seeping saltwater. I can’t wait to push that regulator button and hear the compressed air spew out (pretty important down there to be able to breathe) and I will waddle like a duck in all my gear to the back of the boat and wait my turn (imagining I look better than I feel with the cumbersome tank on my back).

I will make sure I remember all those hand signals (the out-of-air one might come in handy) and, hopefully, heave off the back of the boat in a spectacular somersault. The rising bubbles as I sink and the sound of the regulator imitating my breathing will bring me back to my favorite pastime. I will be wooed once more to enjoy God's presence in a fabulous world of unparalleled beauty. And for a brief moment, nothing else will matter.